Gandhi Jayanti 2022: Why Mahatma Gandhi considered Khadi to be more than just a piece of clothing

Gandhi Jayanti is held to honour the renowned Indian freedom fighter Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, better known as Mahatma Gandhi or “Bapu,” on his birth anniversary. Every year on 2 October, India remembers the ‘Father of the Nation’ for his significant contributions to India’s struggle for independence.

This year, it is the 153rd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi Jayanti is a recognised public holiday in India. The esteemed leader and his ideals are celebrated on this day with much enthusiasm across the country. Every year, Gandhi Jayanti is also observed by the United Nations as the International Day of Non-Violence.

Among his numerous contributions to building a new India, the Khadi movement introduced by Gandhi occupies a significant place. Khadi refers to cloth that has been handwoven and spun. Khadi emerged as a potent and effective emblem of the independence movement as a result of Gandhi’s affiliation with it and the crucial part he played in advancing it to the status of a national fabric. This is also demonstrated by the fact that Gandhi’s own sartorial decisions changed from that of an Englishman to one who represented India.

Farmers did not have enough employment in the earlier half of the 20th century to support themselves throughout the year. In the dry season, they were left inactive for about four months. Thus, spinning would provide a practical vocation that was also simple to learn. Even better, a spinning wheel might be quickly and inexpensively manufactured with virtually little investment of money.

Gandhi viewed Khadi as the end of reliance on foreign resources and as the first lesson in true independence. At that time, raw fabrics/materials were exported to England before being imported again as expensive finished cloth, depriving the local population of employment and income.

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Gandhi also believed that in a society where manual labour was despised, it was a profession that could unite the rich and the poor and demonstrate the dignity of physical labour.

In addition to those in need, he requested that everyone spin for at least one hour each day as a sacrifice for the county and a duty to the underprivileged. By bridging the gap with a shared occupation, he sought to create a certain sense of togetherness between people, and he considered hand spinning as having significant social benefits. Gandhi started the Khadi Movement for reasons that were not just political but also economic, cultural, and social.

In 1934-35, he broadened the concept from assisting poor people to promoting local self-sufficiency. He met with workers’ groups and village organisers in 1942-43 to discuss how to restructure the programme on a larger national scale. As a result, Khadi was considered less as a piece of clothing, and more as a way of life during India’s freedom struggle.

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